


Pancakes fix everything

by Sihaforlife (TheRex)



Series: The paragade sentinel [3]
Category: Mass Effect
Genre: F/M, Family, Fluff, Humor, Love, Post-War, Romance, Shrios fluff, So does Shepard, Thane Lives, everything's happy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-31
Updated: 2017-04-01
Packaged: 2018-10-13 10:49:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10512246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheRex/pseuds/Sihaforlife
Summary: A collection of fluffy post-war Shrios one-shots/drabbles. Tags are updated as I go.





	1. Pancakes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pancakes does, indeed, solve everything. Who knew?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I needed more Shrios' fluff in my life, so this fic was born!

A five year old drell with beautiful dark red scales stood outside her parent's bedroom, peeking in through the half open door. She saw her father touch her mother's hair and kiss her forehead before tucking her in. When he turned around and made his way to the door, Miyo Krios stepped away and pretended to not just have spied on her parents.

But Thane saw right through her. He knew his daughter and knew that she had been watching. Children were more than easy to read. The way she looked down at her naked feet and the way she squeezed the stuffed toyed were clear giveaways. He couldn't stop himself from smiling as he stroke over her head.

"Miyo." Thane said and crouched down to be at eye level with her. "I didn't know you were up. Are you hungry?"

The child nodded, but didn't look up. Thane pressed his lips against the diamond shape on her forehead and stood up. Gently, he took her hand in his and started walking towards the kitchen.

"What's wrong with mommy?" Miyo asked silently without looking at her father.

"Mom isn't feeling well today." Thane said as they entered the kitchen.

That wasn't a lie. She wasn't feeling well. The war had taken a toll on her and even now, nearly seven years later, she was still suffering from it. The physical wounds had healed, but the mental ones were more difficult to treat. She was fine most of the time, but there were days she'd just stay in bed and not do anything. And even though this wasn't the first time Miyo had asked about it, he still didn't know what to say. How did you explain PTSD to a child?

"Is she sick?" Miyo asked as she climbed onto a chair.

"Sort of." Thane said as he turned to the fridge to make breakfast for the younger. It was weekend, so there was no need to rush. "What do you say about some pancakes?"

"Yes!" She cried out and clapped her hands together.

"Go and ask your brother if he wants some as well."

There was the sound of small feet pattering against the floor as Miyo ran towards Kolyat's room. In the beginning, when Shepard and Thane adopted Miyo as an infant, they had worried Kolyat wouldn't care for his sister. However, the two had grown close quickly and Kolyat gladly babysat, or took Miyo out for a day on town, despite the number of looks they got from being drell on Earth.

Kolyat was still living with them, since he had been unable to find a place on his own. Thane and Shepard were more than happy to accommodate him. He had been talking loosely about moving back to Kahje to continue his studies and follow in his mother's footsteps as a researcher. Shepard was supportive of the idea, but Thane fussed. Shepard had to tell him to tone it down a bit. After all, Kolyat was a big boy now.

Thane hummed a low tune under his breath as he started preparing the breakfast. The joys of being a drell. He only had to look over the recipe once and then he knew it by heart.

"I heard a rumour about pancakes." A voice said from behind him.

Glancing over his shoulder, he saw Kolyat still in his sleepwear, with Miyo on his back. The younger drell was clinging onto him and her cheek was pressing against his neck.

"Yes, since there's no school or work today, I thought I'd make something special."

Kolyat loosened Miyo's grip around his throat and took her under her arms. As he plopped her down on a chair, he looked around the table.

"Bad day?" He asked and there was no need for him to elaborate.

"Yes." Thane said quietly.

Silence fell in the kitchen, only interrupted by Miyo's humming. She was so carefree, so young and hopeful. She gave Thane hope. As the pancakes sizzled in the pan, he turned around to look at his children. Kolyat was struggling to keep his eyes open, as he probably felt like it was way too early in the morning for him to be up. Miyo was looking out the window, at the sand dunes and the desert flora.

"Daddy?" Miyo said suddenly. "What's a frog?"

Thane couldn't help but frown that was a bit sudden question. He turned back to the stove and flipped the pancakes.

"Why do you ask?"

"Sarah in school called me one."

"That's not very nice of her." Thane frowned. Children were ruthless.

"Frogs are great." Kolyat intervened and pulled up an image of a dart frog with red skin and black speckles on his omni-tool. "Look, they are almost like drell. Large eyes, beautiful colours. And they're poisonous."

"Are we poisonous?" She frowned.

"Slightly." Thane said as he started plating the pancakes.

"Does mommy get sick when she's with us?"

"No, she's, erm, used to it." Thane's voice trailed off a bit at the end. He heard Kolyat attempt to disguise a laugh as a cough.

"That one looks like you!" She shrieked in excitement as she spotted a blue one.

Thane smiled softly as he plated the final pancakes and placed the plates in front of the siblings. Miyo was occupied with Kolyat's omni-tool, attempting to find one that looked like her father. After handing them some cutlery, Thane turned back to the kitchen bench to brew some tea to bring into Shepard.

As he had his back turned, Miyo stared intently at her plate, evidently deep in thought. She chewed on her bottom lip for a while, before remembering what her mother had said when they had been out in the park a few weeks ago and she'd been cranky. Shepard had bought her a large cinnamon bun. _You're not happy if you're hungry._

While Thane poured water into a cup, Miyo slid off her chair, grabbed her plate and started making her way towards her parents' bedroom. Thane whipped around and Kolyat just shrugged, with a mouthful of pancake.

"Miyo?" He called out and started following his daughter.

He caught her at about the same time as she reached the bedroom. The door stood open and Thane crept closer, listening intently as well as looking in through the crack in the door. Miyo had placed her plate on the bedside table and stepped away, her hands behind her back. Shepard rolled over in the bed and looked at the child.

"You're not happy if you're hungry, mommy." Miyo whispered.

Thane felt his heart melt at that comment and from the look on Shepard's face, she felt the same. Smiling softly, she sat up on the bed and lifted Miyo into her lap.

"I love you mummy." Miyo mumbled against her mother's shoulder.

"I love you too, pumpkin." Shepard kissed her daughter's cheek.

"No!" Miyo shook her head. "I'm poisonous!"

"Oh?" Shepard looked over Miyo's head and locked eyes with Thane, who just shrugged with a sheepish smile on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think! Comments and kudos sustain me


	2. Baby

Shepard stood by the large living room window, gently rocking the baby she had in her arms. Large, black eyes stared up at her and small hands were clutching at the t-shirt Shepard was wearing. Miyo let out a soft cooing sound and gave Shepard a wide, toothless smile. Even though the new mother knew that so far, the smiles didn't actually mean anything and were simply a reflex, they were beautiful nonetheless. And despite the pain in her bad shoulder and the faint headache from not getting enough sleep, she was happy beyond words to finally hold her child.

"Do you want me to hold her for a while?" Thane said softly as he walked up behind the pair. "You look weary."

"I'm fine." Shepard assured with a smile. "And you took the night shift."

"Drell require less sleep than humans. I feel fine."

"You're just trying to hog all the baby cuddles for yourself." Shepard teased and kissed her beloved's cheek. "Not gonna happen."

"She's quite beautiful." He mused as he ran a finger over her round cheek. "And she's much quieter than Kolyat was at this age."

Shepard shifted Miyo a bit in her arms. Even though the baby didn't weigh much, Shepard was still recovering form her extensive injuries and even a small weight could make her uncomfortable. It was beyond annoying. And of course Thane noticed.

"Are you certain you don't want me to take her?" There was worry in his voice.

"I'm fine." She repeated. "I'll let you know if it gets too much."

Gently, Thane kissed the still healing scar on her cheek. She was covered in quite a lot of them now. The most noticeable ran from the bridge of her nose, across her cheek, down her neck and to her collar bone.

"I love you, siha." He placed a few strands of hair behind her ear.

"I love you too."

The peaceful moment was interrupted by the sudden wail of the baby. Her mood seemed to have gone from content to pissed off in a few milliseconds. Her small fists were waving as she screamed at the top of her little lungs.

"Oh, what's wrong, pumpkin?" Shepard cooed. "Time for some food?"

Holding the squirming and angry infant close to her chest, Shepard made her way towards the kitchen with Thane hot on her heels. While Shepard did her best to sooth Miyo, the former assassin took out a jar of baby food, opened it and grabbed a spoon. Drell children ate solid foods right from birth, which explained the lack of nipples on the scaled species.

Thane scooped a up a bit of the jar's contents on the spoon and offered it to Miyo. As soon as the spoon appeared in front of her, she stopped screaming and focused on the spoon instead. Shepard couldn't help but smile.

"That's better, hm?" Thane said and offered her another spoonful.

There was a pang of pain in Shepard's shoulder and she winced. This didn't go unnoticed by Thane and he took Miyo from her without questioning. Shepard sank down onto a chair and looked at Thane. It wasn't rare that she wished that she had drell memory. Whenever she had a nightmare or felt bad, she wanted to be able to bring up this image of her beloved and their daughter. It was just perfect.

* * *

Thane stood leaned over the crib, his hands on the wooden railing. His daughter's chest was rising and falling slowly as she slept under the blanket with small bees on it. It had been a gift from Tali and Garrus. And the stuffed toy that lay next to the sleeping infant had been given to her by Joker.

A wide smile spread on the drell's face as he looked at Miyo. After Irikah passed, he never thought life would be this perfect. For the first time in his life, he had friends. Before, he had rarely spoken to anyone outside his family. Now, he often called Garrus, Tali or even Joker to talk. In the room adjacent to this, his son was sleeping and across the hall was his siha. 

For the first time in his life, Thane felt completely Whole.


	3. PTA

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was inspired from my cousin's reaction after being at a PTA for her child.

It was more difficult than Shepard thought to keep herself from repeatedly slamming her forehead into the desk at which she sat. One of the mums in the front row of the class room was currently speaking about the importance of being involved in your child's studies. _They're in preschool._ She thought to herself. _Their education consists of learning 'Mary had a little lamb'._

Next to her, ever so calm, Thane had his hands clasped in front of him and seemed to listen to the woman's every word. But he didn't give a shit and was just as bored as she was. At least she hoped so. If he raised his hand to offer to bake muffins for a bloody bake sale, he was sleeping on the sofa for the next month.

This was ridiculous. She had told Harbinger to go and stuff it, she had spoken with the reapers' creators, connected to the geth consensus, defeated Saren, gone through the Omega-4 relay, yet it was a PTA meeting at her daughter's pre-school that was going to send her into a frenzy. She wanted to slap these stuck-up, know-it-all mothers who gave her strange looks because of her facial scars and because of Thane. She also wanted to slap the fathers with their suits and bank jobs that made subtle, but obvious racists remarks towards Thane.

 _It's because of us you can all sit here and talk about the fucking brownies._ Shepard thought to herself and couldn't keep herself from letting out a frustrated sigh. Thane's hand slid around her wrist and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"Calm yourself." He whispered. "And I'll make sure this is worth your while."

"Oh?" Shepard quirked an eyebrow and grinned. "Really now?"

Unfortunately, she was then distracted from hearing what Thane had planned by the annoying kiss-ass mother in the front row.

"...and I think we should introduced the children to alien cultures." She said in that annoying voice. "After all, we want them to become rounded human beings."

"That's a lovely idea!" Mrs. Brown exclaimed and her eyes drifted to the odd couple in the back. "Perhaps Miyo can do a presentation on drell culture?"

"Miyo knows as much about drell culture as your kids do." Shepard said and tried to keep her voice civil. "She's lived on Earth her whole life."

"But she has a drell father."Annoying-mum said.

"I am very aware of that." Shepard couldn't stop herself.

"Then perhaps - sorry, what was your name again?" She had turned to Thane now.

"Thane." Her beloved said, as civil as ever. "And, I could certainly do a presentation on drell culture and customs."

Shepard shot him a hard gaze. He was so going to sleep on the sofa. At least he hadn't dragged her into this. She certainly wasn't going to hold some kind of presentation in front of twenty five year olds who would much rather be outside, making sand castles.

"Maybe we should do some research ourselves on this culture before we let our children learn about it." Some smug suit-dad interjected. "In case there are any, y'know, non kid friendly customs."

"Drell live on Kahje, with the hanar. They are excessively polite and kind." Thane explained calmly. "And, of course, I would never bring up anything that would put make the children uncomfortable."

 _Maybe the compact should be left out of it._ Shepard thought. She barely managed to bit back a smile as she imagined the faces of the parents around her if they knew about Thane's previous line of work. They'd probably shit themselves.

"Well, _I_ think we need to make sure that our children aren't given a wrong idea about aliens."

Once more, Shepard had to keep herself from smacking her head into the desk.

* * *

The only positive thing about the PTA was the free coffee and pastries available after the torture. This was, after all, only the Krios couple's second PTA. They had kept Miyo home until this year.

"Do you want anything?" Shepard asked as she rose from her seat.

"If there's any fruit available, I'll have some of that."

"Of course." She pecked Thane on the lips before walking towards the cart with her rewards for being a nice veteran and not strangling anyone.

Shepard grabbed one of the flimsy paper plates and started plating things that look appealing. Some apple slices, a few biscuits, a cinnamon bun and some grapes. Even though they had lived on Earth since the end of the war, Thane was still a bit negative towards human food. It had too much sugar in it and made him feel jittery, he said.

After filling one cup with tea and the other with coffee, she made her way back to where Thane was sitting. She noticed that douche-mom had pulled up a chair and the man that sat beside her was probably her douche-husband.

"Thank you, siha." Thane said and took the tea from Shepard, cutting off douche-mom in the middle of a sentence.

Shepard took a seat beside Thane and brought her cup of coffee to her lips. It tasted like shit.

"I don't think we've met." Douche-mom said. She reminded Shepard a bit of Miranda. "I'm Julia Wallace and this is my husband, Stephen."

"Hello." Shepard said and shook their hands. "I'm Ripley."

"So..." Julia asked and tilted her head. "You're a veteran?"

"Erm..." Shepard reached up and touched the large scar that went from the bridge of her nose, down to her neck. "Yeah."

"So is Stephen. He fought alongside Commander Shepard when it was time to retake Earth." Julia puffed out her chest and Stephen just looked sheepish.

"Oh really?" Shepard said and Thane hid a chuckle behind his tea.

Most humans didn't remember what she looked like. It was years since her last public appearance. Her hair had been much shorter back then her scars had still been violently red. But now, her hair was long, her skin had a permanent tan, her scars had faded. Only people that had worked close with her knew what she looked like.

"I was so worried when he was out in the field." She placed her hand on his arm.

As she spoke, Stephen was looking at her with a small frown on his face. _Oh shit, he's onto me._ She couldn't help but think and quickly took a bite of a biscuits, as if that was going to distract him. Luckily, Thane was there to save her.

"Yes, I can relate." He said as he spun a grape between his slender fingers. "It was... Difficult to be confined to a planet while Ripley was out fighting. Knowing that at any time, a bullet could rip her away from me. It's nothing I wish to experience again."

"I feel like I know you from somewhere." Stephen said suddenly.

_Oh crap._

"Well, I got around a bit during the war. It's likely we met somewhere." Shepard quickly said, avoiding the veteran's eyes.

A bit after she said that, his eyes widened and he leaned back in the chair. No, Shepard wasn't in the mood for this. If he asked for an autograph, she might just explode.

"You're Commander Shepard, aren't you?" His eyes were wide.

"Uh..." Shepard just said dumbly. "Technically I'm not a commander anymore. I've been honourably discharged due to my-"

"It's such an honour, commander." Stephen said, interrupting her explanation.

"It's an honour to meet you too." Shepard lied through a forced smile.

Next to Stephen, Julia looked like she had just smelled something really nasty. Poor thing had probably imagined how the odd couple in front of her would be in awe at her husband's feats in the military. However, very few, if any, soldier's track records could match Shepard's.


	4. Sniffles

Though Shepard was quite comfortable with the heat, there was a limit to what she could endure. And today, that limit had been reached. When she wasn't working, you could normally find her by, or in, the pool. But now, she was sitting inside, where it was cooler. It wasn't too cold, since her family members preferred warmer temperatures, but it was still not as warm as outside.

While sipping on a glass of cold water, she looked at the biotiball game on the vid. Armali Angels were playing against Illium Illuminators. Of course she was cheering for the angels, since Liara came from Armali, but Shepard couldn't really claim that she was too into biotiball. No, she preferred a good ol' human ice hockey match or soccer.

"And the Illuminators score! It's now sixty to forty-two." The turian commentator pointed out as the camera cut away from the field and to the studio with him and his asari co-host. "I don't think the Angels will be able to do make eighteen goals in the remaining minutes of the game. What do you think, Nyira?"

Shepard was distracted from hearing what Nyira thought about the game as she saw the door to her and Thane's bedroom open. He had gone for a nap after breakfast, which was somewhat rare. Out came Thane, still dressed in his signature sleeping clothes (a t-shirt and loose cotton trousers). There was something off about him, though. His gaze was fixed on the floor and he seemed to be shuffling instead of walking. A crease of worry formed between Shepard's eyebrows.

"Hey you. Everything okay?" She said as her beloved plopped down into the sofa next to her. He placed his head in her lap before curling up into a ball.

There was no answer from Thane and his eyes had closed. The knot of worry in Shepard's stomach grew. She ran her hand over Thane's head and sighed as she felt how warm he was. Normally, Thane's body temperature was a few degrees below her own, but today he was boiling.

"Damn, Thane." She said and grabbed a blanket to drape over his slender body. "You're burning up."

"I don't get sick." He muttered, his eyes still closed.

"Says the guy who had Kepral's." Tucking him in, Shepard stroke over his forehead again.

"That was different." His nose sounded stuffed.

"Oh really?" She shimmed out from under him. "Just going to get you something to drink. Don't want you getting dehydrated."

A low _hmph_ came from Thane and he pulled the blanket up to his chin. It was rare that Shepard got the opportunity to doctor Thane. She was normally the one who got ill, since they lived on Earth with a lot of human bacteria floating around in the air. But the others did get sick, of course. Miyo more than the others. Kolyat hadn't gotten ill since he came back from Kahje after getting the treatment to prevent Kepral's.

In the kitchen, Shepard found her step-son at the table, looking at something on his omni-tool. As Shepard entered, Kolyat looked up.

"What's up with father?" He asked and nodded towards the living room.

"He has a fever." Shepard shrugged. "Hopefully, he's not contagious, but you never know."

"Do you want me to pick Miyo up this afternoon?" Kolyat asked while Shepard filled up the glass of water.

"You're an angel, Kolyat." She gave him a wide smile before returning to walk back into the living room to tend to Thane.

While she had been gone, Thane seemed to have fallen asleep again. His eyes were closed and his breathing was deep. A quiet snoring came from him. Thane never snored. He was as quiet while he slept as he was when he was awake. Apart from when he had a cold, apparently.

There was something extremely endearing about seeing him like this. Shepard had seen him on the brink of death from Kepral's and on the verge of an emotional break down. But in all the time she had known him, he hadn't been like this. He had once been the most infamous assassin in the galaxy and he was now sleeping on the sofa, under a pink blanket and snoring from a stuffed nose.

"Come on, babe." Shepard gently shook his shoulder. "You need to drink something."

"No." Thane muttered and turned around in the sofa, burying his face in the cushions. "I just want to sleep."

"My god." She sat down next to him. "Pretty please?"

Thane turned back around and his large, black eyes fixed on Shepard's face. She had to fight an overwhelming urge to pull him into a hug.

"If I agree to drink a glass of water, will you let me sleep then?"

"Promise."

Grumbling under his breath, Thane eased himself into a sitting position. With the blanket still wrapped around his body, he cuddled up close to Shepard. With a small smile on her face, she wrapped her arm around his shoulder and handed him the glass of water.

"Poor little Thane." She cooed as he drank the water.

"I am not a child, siha." He pointed out.

"If you say so."

The glass was now empty and Thane lay back down. Once more, he placed his head in her lap. It didn't take long before he was sleeping once again.

* * *

" _Thane,_ please." Shepard sighed as she poked at the lump of blankets that was the former assassin. A low grumble came as a reply. "You have to eat something."

"I just want to sleep..." Came from the small mountain of blankets. "I'll be fine."

"Just a spoonful."

Shepard was holding a bowl of clear vegetable soup in her hands and was desperately trying to get Thane to eat something. He was the most stubborn man she had ever met. All he did was sleep. If Shepard hadn't been there, he would probably have wasted away from forgetting to eat and drink. 

"Come on, pretty please?" She pulled the blankets down to be met by a pair of dark eyes. "I let you doctor me after the war. It's my turn!"

A deep sigh came from him before he moved to sit up at the headboard of the bed. Mentally, Shepard fist-bumped herself. She had won. 

* * *

 

Even though Kolyat had offered to go and fetch Miyo once she was finished with school, Shepard ended up going. She just needed to get out of the house for a bit. 

"And, and then Jules threw the monkey over the fence!" Miyo exclaimed as Shepard pulled into the driveway.

"Oh no." Shepard said, only listening with half an ear to the monkey story.

"Mrs. Brown had to go and get it and Jules couldn't have biscuits."

The young drell continued chatting non-stop as they walked up towards the house. A bead of sweat ran down Shepard's back. It was way too warm today for a human to be outside. The cool air inside the house was a blessed relief.

"We're home!" Shepard called out as she closed the door behind her.

Kolyat walked into the hallway, holding a cup of tea. How the hell could he drink tea in this weather?!

"How is he?" Shepard asked as she placed Miyo's shoes in the shoe rack.

"He's asleep in the bedroom. Managed to get him to drink some water."

"You're a life saver." Shepard gave him a quick hug before advancing into the house.

However, when she came into the living room, she came to a halt. On the door to her and Thane's bedroom sat several yellow post-it notes with the symbol for biohazard drawn on it. Shepard turned to Kolyat with a raised eyebrow.

"Who knows if he's contagious?" Kolyat said with a shrug. "Better safe than sorry."


	5. Secrets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since Kolyat's around for less than ten minutes in both games, we know nothing about him. So, this is my version of Kolyat.

Kolyat looked down at the hands that held his own. The deep purple scales of his companion went beautifully with his own blue. He let out a sigh and didn't look up as he spoke.

"Are you certain?" He felt the other pair of hands squeeze his own. "I know our culture doesn't look kindly on our type of relationship."

"Kolyat, that doesn't matter to me. It doesn't matter if you're male or female. Just as long as you're you."

Kolyat looked up and his eyes met those of the drell standing before him. His name was Niath and he was the only other drell Kolyat had encountered while on Earth, apart from Miyo and Thane. The two of them had met at the large spaceport where they both worked. Niath worked for a few hanar officials, as their aid, while Kolyat worked with managing bagage. On an after-work evening, a coworker had introduced them. It hadn't taken long before they hit off. At first, it had simply felt as friendship. But after a while, it grew to something else. Niath was the first one Kolyat had confessed his attraction to males to.

While he knew that same-sex couples were widely accepted on Earth, the same couldn't be said for Kahje. The drell were still quite close-minded in that fashion. Perhaps it was because there were so few of them and same-sex couples couldn't have children. Every child was valuable to the drell, to keep their species from dying out.

No one knew about Niath, not even his father or Shepard. Kolyat was worried, mainly about his father's reaction. Though Thane had never given any indication to dislike or be disgusted by same-sex couples, Kolyat didn't want to take the chance. Thane had already left once and Kolyat was going to do anything in his might to not let that happen again.

"If it bothers you this much, we can keep it quiet." Niath said and tilted his head as he tried to read Kolyat's facial expression.

"No." Kolyat shook his head. "Or, perhaps. I'm not sure. I need some time to think about it."

"I'll gladly give you all the time in the world." Niath leaned forward and gently pressed his lips against Kolyat's.

A pleased, deep purr came from Kolyat. Niath's lips were so smooth and gentle against his own. Though it wasn't Kolyat's first kiss, it was probably his best so far. His latest kiss had been with a white-scaled female in an empty corridor in his high school, when he still tried to deny his attraction to males.

However, the tender moment was interrupted as Kolyat heard the sound of an engine. Shepard had agreed to come and pick him up after work, since he was working night and she didn't want him to be out and about in the dark. He pulled away from Niath and stepped back. But the spotlights had already fallen on them and Kolyat knew Shepard had seen them kissing. His eyes went to the ground and he refused to look his step-mother in the eye as she exited the car.

"Hello youths!" She said with a light voice as she walked up to them. "I don't think we've met before. I'm Ripley."

"Niath Huun." Out of the corner of his eye, Kolyat saw the two of them shake hands.

"So, you're Kolyat's boyfriend...?" Shepard continued.

"I suppose you could say that."

"Huh. Didn't know he had one." Shepard continued as Kolyat fiddled with a thread on his trousers. "Anyway, you'll have to come by for dinner sometime. Just give me a head's up first, so that I know to make extra."

"I would very much like that." Niath said before his hand went to Kolyat's arm. "I'll see you Monday."

As soon as Niath's hand went from his arm, Kolyat started making his way towards the car. He jumped into the passenger seat and stared out the window at the dark night.

"He seems nice." Shepard said as she sat down in the driver's seat. When Kolyat didn't say anything, Shepard continued. "You don't have to feel embarrassed or anything, you know that right? It doesn't matter who you love, as long as it's consensual and the one you love loves you back."

"What will father think?" He muttered and glanced over at Shepard.

"I think Thane will be just fine with it."

"If you say so..."

The rest of the drive consisted of them chatting about how his day at work at been and what had happened while Kolyat had been at work. When they pulled in on the drive way, Shepard put a hand on his arm as he was about to get out of the car.

"Thane and I love you, Kolyat." She said, her large eyes sincere. "Always will. Just... Remember that, okay?"

"I will." He nodded. "Thank you, Shepard."


	6. Hands

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thane has nice hands <3

Shepard looked down at her and Thane's hands. They were linked together, her long finger and ring finger had to spred far apart in order to fit his fused ones. At first, the fit had felt awkward and somewhat uncomfortable. But now, it felt right. She couldn't imagine holding hands with anyone else and she hoped she'd never have to.

Gently, she ran her thumb over the back of his hand, marvelling at how soft his scales were when she stroke down towards his wrist and how rough they were when she stroke towards his fingers. His green skin was such a contrast against her own bronze one.

The only thing that seemed to be similar was that they both shared a good amount of scars. It came from years of working with their hands. While she couldn't remember where most of hers came from, she knew he could point at every one of his scars and tell her the exact story behind them.

His hand gave hers a gentle squeeze. Those hands that had killed an unimaginable number of people now held hers so gently. She recalled how they had cradled Miyo when she was just a baby. The hands she had seen take down a krogan and produce biotics strong enough to smash a man's skull had held their daughter so gently.

So much of him was amazing. He was perfect, simply because he would admit that he was flawed. Never had he attempted to hide anything from Shepard. He would be the first to admit his faults and failings. But at the same time, he would admit his strengths without bragging.

For the umpteenth time, she realised how lucky she was. While most people saw Thane as polite but stoic, she knew him in ways no one else alive did. In front of her, he was even more emotional than she was. He never hid how he felt from of her. Never would he hide his anger, happiness or sadness. She had seen all of these emotions from him.

Thane gave her hand another squeeze and she looked up at him. One of his eyebrows were raised and he had a small smile on his full lips.

"What?" Shepard asked, mimicking his expression.

"You seem lost in thoughts." He ran his thumb over her knuckles.

"Just thinking about how lucky I am to be sitting with you here today." She leaned over to kiss his cheek. "I love you."

"And I, you, siha."

Shepard smiled as he let out a small, happy purr and she leaned back in her patio chair, closing her eyes. While Thane was sitting in the sun, reminding her very much of a lizard, she was sat under a patio umbrella. Still, she was very comfortable.

Well, she was until Thane suddenly picked her up bridal style. Her eyes flew open.

"What the fuck?!" She cried out and grabbed onto Thane's bicep for support. "Put me down! Help! Mutiny!"

He didn't reply as he started taking long strides forward. There was a mischievous smile on his lips and he walked towards the pool. Shepard realised what he was about to do milliseconds before he did it. One moment she was in Thane's strong arms, the next she was flying through the air towards the pool.

The water came as a shock to her warm body and the air left her. She came spluttering up to the surface again, shaking the water out of her eyes. Thane was standing next to the pool, smiling.

"You are an arse." She grumbled as she tread water.

"You seemed warm, siha." He folded his arms over his chest and grinned as Shepard made her way towards the shallow end.

Before he could react, Shepard's biotics enveloped him. He let out a surprised and very undignified yelp before he fell into the water as well. As he came up to the surface, he splashed water in her face.

"I wanna swim too!" was cried out before there was a third splash. A red little drell had suddenly joined them in the pool.

Miyo swam to her mother and clung onto the former commander's shoulders.

Shepard laughed loudly and moved Miyo so that she held her in her arms. Miyo wrapped her arms around Shepard's neck and leaned her head on her mother's shoulder. This was more perfect than Shepard could ever have imagined. When she and Thane met, they had been heading towards a suicide mission and if they survived, Thane would be gone in months.

Now, it was eight years after her resurrection and they were living in the desert with a family. Grinning, Shepard moved forward and pressed her lips against Thane's.


	7. Old wounds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've always been interested in Thane's childhood and his relationship with his family.
> 
> So... This is some of my head-canon when it comes to Thane's background.

It was rare that Shepard woke up without having Thane next to her in bed. During their time on the Normandy, he had always been the first to rise, saying that he wanted to meditate on the dreams of the night before he started the day. He had never explained what kind of dreams he felt the need to meditate on, but in the end, it didn't matter. But now, when they were living a civilian life, they often woke up at around the same time. Perhaps it came from being together for such a long time.

However, this morning, Shepard found that she was only sharing the bed with Thane's cold pillow. He had been up for a while, then. Glancing at the clock on their bedside table, Shepard frowned as she noted it was only a few minutes past five in the morning. There was no need for him to be up this early. Slightly worried, Shepard rolled out of bed, wrapped the dressing gown Thane had given her for her birthday around her body and left the bedroom to find her lover.

It didn't take long for her to look. After all, their house wasn't large. He was stood by the large patio windows, staring out over the still dark desert. His shoulders were squared, his back straight and his hands clasped behind his back. It was a tense posture that she hadn't seen in a long time.

"Hey..." Shepard walked over to him and smoothed her hand over his back. "What's wrong?"

The first response she got was just a low hum. Over the years, she had gotten used to the myriad of sounds Thane made. It turned out drell communicated a lot through small noises that humans had issues picking up on. She rather felt his body vibrate with the sound than hear it.

"I recently got the news that my father has passed away." He muttered without looking at her.

Whatever Shepard had expected, she hadn't expected this. Thane never spoke of his family. Actually, he rarely spoke about his life before meeting her. Neither of them did, she realised.

"I'm sorry." She whispered and leaned her head against his shoulder. "Were you close?"

"No." He said almost immediately. "I haven't spoken to anyone from my family since I was sixteen. I hadn't spoken to them for ten years before that. My parents know little of my current life. They know nothing of Irikah, Kolyat, you, Miyo... Yet, I'm uncertain on how I should react to these news."

"Well, he was your father." Shepard shrugged. She had no idea how to deal with this.

"My family and I were never close. They left me in the hanar's care as a child and our contact seized for ten years. But they came to visit at my sixteenth birthday. Why, I still don't know." He hung his head and let out a sigh. "I was six, siha. I felt... Betrayed. I didn't understand. What was actually an honor for my family, I saw as abandonment. I lived with these feelings for ten years before they reappeared in my life. Their explanations fell on deaf ears. I should have listen, should have forgiven... But wounds heal slowly with drell."

"Oh, Thane." Shepard wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close. "I didn't know... I'm sorry, sweetheart."

"I should have opened up to you." He muttered as he hugged her back. "But I didn't see a reason for it. I'm over forty and haven't seen my parents for thirty years. I thought it didn't matter anymore."

"As you said, wounds heal slowly with drell." She ran her hand over his head ridge. "You don't have to be ashamed of this. It must have been hard for you."

"I have a brother as well. He's five years my junior."

"Really?" Shepard couldn't keep the surprise out of her voice. She had never considered the possibility that Thane had siblings. To be honest, she hadn't actually thought about his family much.

"For a long time, I assumed he was the reason they gave me over to the hanar. That they preferred him to me." Thane ran his hand through Shepard's hair. "He was the one who sent me the message. How he got my extranet adress, I don't know. We are only brothers in blood. I see Garrus as more my brother than Rutkak."

A snort escaped Shepard before she could stop herself. She clamped her hand over her mouth and turned away from Thane to hide her snickers. He raised an eyebrow at her.

"I'm sorry." She chuckled. "That's just a really ugly name."

"Yes, I agree." He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling her close. The tense atmosphere in the room was beginning to lift. "Don't linger on this too long, siha. It is in the past."

"Well, it apparently bothers you."

"I haven't thought about those times in a long while."

He pulled her body flush against his and kissed her gently. She ran her hands over the frills on his cheeks and neck. The sun was beginning to rise over the horizon and the rays fell on him. Suddenly, she was reminded of when they met, how he had been back-lit by the rising sun on Illium with Nassana Dantius' rapidly cooling body on that desk.

For a few moment, she allowed herself to see a much younger Thane. A young boy who had been torn from his parents in order to become a skilled killer to do the hanar's bidding. Though he still refused to compare the Compact to slavery, she couldn't shake the comparison.

"If it makes you feel any better, my childhood was fucking shit." She chuckled.

"It doesn't manke me feel any better." He said solemnly.

"Considering everything we've been through, I'd say we're pretty well-adjusted." She grinned at him.

They leaned forward and kissed deeply. His hands moved down and settled on her hips. They only had a few more moments before their daughter would wake up and their full attention would be on her. Moments like these were even more precious now, since they were so rare.

"Thank you, siha." Thane purred. "For being you."

"SOME PEOPLE WORKED LATE LAST NIGHT AND ARE TRYING TO SLEEP!"

The sudden shout made both of them jump and they turned to look at Kolyat's room. The younger drell was only dressed in his underwear and was glaring daggers at them from the door frame.

"Take your make-out session elsewhere." He slammed the door shut and they heard him muttering before his bed creaked again.

Shepard couldn't help the bubbling laugh that came from her and she pressed her face against Thane's chest to hide it. She felt his chest rumble as he wrapped her arms around her.


End file.
